So it snowed in Pennsylvania this week. Last Monday, ninety degrees; this Monday, lots of big flakes here on Hickory Lane. Although we had no real accumulation, it was cold, cold, cold, for April 23, and raw and windy. Miserable, really. It was easy to find comments about how dreadful it all was, and no one seemed to notice that as the whiteness dissolved, the already very green grass became greener still. Gorgeous. But rather than repeat last year's rant about weather complaining (if that's what you need, you can read it here) I've decided on a different tactic. I've climbed off of my soapbox and clambered aboard the band wagon, sort of.

I'm joining the chorus and singing The Spring Blues.

The Spring blues of the soul are kind of like Pennsylvania's wild spring weather, unpredictable but inevitable ...(hey that sounds like a definition of menopause, but we'll dodge that topic this post. Oops, I already didn't.) It might help to look at it this way: if you don't like what you've got, hang on, you're in for a change. Only in this case, that's a good thing. Yep, time for those spring blues. While you're waiting for the weather to change, start looking for them!

It's time to watch for the sweet spring blue ...purple/yellow johnny-jump-ups to start jumping. I think they have another name, like viola or field pansy, but I grew up with this beloved name, and I'm not changing now.

And don't forget the forget-me-nots! I first met this lovely blue eyed beauty in my Main Street garden, a happy wanderer from the other side of the hedge! My original specimen died out, but this one came from the same soil, a transplant from the new homeowner and my new friend. So, I guess it's an old friend from a new friend reminding me of an even older friend! I could go on and on with spring blue flowers - pansies, speedwell, bluets, all manner of wood violets, bluebells, hyacinths...maybe I will...

birdseye speedwell

lithodora

delicate wood violet

virginia bluebells

But the spring blues are by no means limited to flowers! What is more full of hope and promise than a nest filled with blue, blue blue robin eggs, waiting, waiting, waiting for warm spring days even more than I am?!

Speaking of birds, these lovely little fellows generally add a splash of color to my walks even on the chilliest days. Always, the male bluebirds arrive first, flaunting their blueness with a flourish. It's a showin' off shade of blue they are sporting, and I love it. Just like the sky...yep, spring blues are different. More intense, more brilliant...it's a showin' off shade of blue too!

The birds aren't the only ones who have donned their flashy colors for spring. I'm sure I did not see these shirts on my Amish neighbors during the long days of winter. But here they are, glowing with their own version of just plain fancy spring blues!

Okay, now I've primed the pump. Once you begin looking, you'll see the spring blues everywhere, and they are a welcome antidote to the "other" spring blues. Watching beats whining every time. Believe me, I know this from personal experience. No one needs this post more than I do!

I have my own favorite outfit to wear when the spring blues hit...garden gloves!! This photo shows the gloves of Youngest, but mine are blue too, even bluer than these. (It makes them much easier to find in the garden than the green ones I once had...oh, wait, I forgot, that was my last post...) So, maybe tomorrow, I'll get to wear them. Or the next day. Whenever the snow/rain/wind/freeze warnings have ended!! Gotta love those spring blues!

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I'm finding my way beyond the maze of the "middle" years (if I'm gonna be 100 and something someday...) ​living life as a country woman who is a writer, gardener, wife, mom, nature observer, teacher,and most of all a much loved child of God.